title: Identification, characterization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the rolling-circle replication initiator protein from plasmid pSTK1.
abstract: Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens poses an ever-increasing risk to human health. In antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus this resistance often resides in extra-chromosomal plasmids, such as those of the pT181 family, which replicate via a rolling-circle mechanism mediated by a plasmid-encoded replication initiation protein. Currently, there is no structural information available for the pT181-family Rep proteins. Here, the crystallization of a catalytically active fragment of a homologous replication initiation protein from the thermophile Geobacillus stearothermophilus responsible for the replication of plasmid pSTK1 is reported. Crystals of the RepSTK1 fragment diffracted to a resolution of 2.5 Å and belonged to space group P2₁2₁2₁.
authors.affiliation: Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0FA, England.
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: Lauren B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Mecia
authors.forename: Simon E V
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000737:chemistry*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D001411:Geobacillus stearothermophilus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000737:chemistry*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D015534:Trans-Activators; C045264:replication initiator protein; D004265:DNA Helicases
keywords: Geobacillus stearothermophilus; Staphylococcus aureus; plasmid pSTK1; plasmid pT181; replication initiation proteins; rolling-circle replication